In a recent email conversation with Raimonda Mikatavage she asked me to share some of my multi-national experiences about how it’s possible to peacefully transcend cultures in our global village. My experiences come from childhood and have fructified in my counseling activities, the publication of “Enlace Internacional” (now published in English and Spanish), attendance at Conferences and Peace reunions, group talks and media presentations in several countries. I live my life according to universal values which from my perspective apply to all of us in the global community.

México is my country of birth and many of my values come from my upbringing and living there for 33 years. After 14 years of living in the United States and 17 years of marriage with an American wonderful person I developed enough personal and professional ties to wish to add U.S. citizenship to my formal make-up. On October I will attend the Oath of Allegiance Ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. It is also my profound joy to have a permit that allows me to live in England for the time being. I feel I am a Citizen of the World and all my thoughts and actions are directed to sustain such an approach in living.

I believe our approach in living in many ways determines the way we relate with society and what we receive in exchange. I grew up with the constant influence of a close family that extended my heritage through my grandparents and great grandparents to Italy, Lebanon, México and Spain. Many countries, languages and religions taught me very early in life that harmony was possible. When I was 5, with the enthusiastic encouragement of my mother, I started taking English lessons. My young friends and I loved to sing children’s songs so familiar in other environments. A few years later my fifth-grade school teacher asked us to share one of our profoundest dreams and I remember standing in the classroom and sharing with happiness and pride my vision of travelling all over the world. Now, at 49, my dream is being fulfilled in expanding opportunities.

When I was 15, my parents gave me the gift of a six-week trip to the United States in their desire to help me increase my understanding of the world. Through an international cultural exchange program co-sponsored by Mexican and U.S. universities I became an integral part of an American family in Boulder, Colorado. This high-school and family experience broadened my perspective and helped me see that the world was much larger than I ever thought! Two years later I returned with my sister to the same town and lived with two other families. I still treasure those early memories of bi-culturization.

While living in the United States in 1994 I began publishing “Enlace Internacional” (http://www.peacepilgrim.com/news/index.htm#enlace) – a newsletter with emphasis on sharing the process that manifests in inner peace. I initially sent it to a few friends in Chile, México and the United States. Through the years more people became interested in becoming part of this circle of friends and now “Enlace” is being distributed in many countries, including England, Russia, Argentina, United States, Brazil, Cuba, México, Bolivia, India, Colombia, South Africa, Costa Rica and Canada. I have always enjoyed communicating with people from all over the world. Through all these experiences I have discovered that our similarities are a binding point for humanity and that we share some basic ideals in many cultures such as a desire for peaceful living and harmony within ourselves and others. I believe each one of us can become a beacon of hope to inspire others and a source of healing energy as we live up to the highest ideals we hold in common – our shared meaning, a shared reality. As we develop our understanding of other cultures and nations we become better equipped to deal with our differences through a profound respect for personality. It is possible to understand that our differences are a powerful source of richness and abundance! The flow of self outward in a sharing with others stresses the oneness of all.

One of the greatest multi-national experiences while living in the United States happened through a normal social interaction at home. It came to me that my husband and I could host parties in which people from many lands would come and share their typical dishes, music, stories, anecdotes, etc. Share the whole of themselves with all of us! We hosted this party for several years and had the privilege to experience the traditions and beautiful personalities of Canada, China, Switzerland, Iran, Puerto Rico, India, México, Uganda, Russia and Italy.

Living in England provides continuously inspiring experiences. As Marc Edmund Jones, a philosopher I deeply admire said, “As men work together in the light of mutual goals and ideals they learn that they may develop a world in common.” Britain has given me the opportunity to expand even to a greater degree my understanding of the world. Newspapers constantly speak of what is happening all over the globe. On the streets of cosmopolitan London I see and hear people from all corners of the Earth. Social events emphazise harmony and co-operation. For example, one of the events of the Closing Ceremony in the 2002 Commonwealth Games presented a magnificent symbolic representation interlinking cultures, faiths and values. More than a thousand people, representing all cultures and faiths living in Manchester, England, proudly shared the symbols of their faiths through the use of immense, beautiful light-filled lanterns. At the center of the stadium the lantern of a huge human body represented humanity. Groups of people from each faith came forward and touched the body in a perfect manifestation of peace. In grand harmony, links were created between all those participating in the ceremony.

We live in the world we create. That which we focus on we strengthen!

I wish you a Joyous Day!